HOVERING ON DEATH'S DOOR RULES
"LESS DEATHS, MORE PERMANENT DAMAGE"
DEATH
A character has a death point that is equal to the negative of his
Constitution. Thus a character with a 11 Constitution would have a
death point of -11. If for any reason a character's hit points goes
below his death point, the character dies.
When a character reaches 0 hit points, he becomes unconscious.
This unconscious state is accompanied by shallow breathing, faint heart
beat, etc..
When a character has negative hit points (i.e. below 0), then he
must make a system shock each round until he dies or his hit points are
restored to 0 or above. If the system shock is successful, then the
character still has a chance for survival. If the system shock is
failed, then the character's Constitution is permanently lowered by 1.
Because his Constitution is lowered by one, the character's death point
is raised by 1. Thus the character with 11 Constitution who failed his
system shock now has a 10 Constitution and a death point of -10.
Note that if a character's hit points goes below his death point
because of the loss of Constitution then he is dead. Also, if a
character's Constitution becomes 0 then the character dies as well.
Such loss and death are caused from bleeding, shock, convulsions, non-
respiration, and similar causes.
The only way to prevent loss and death is to raise the character's
hit points to 0 or higher though aid. Aid consists of binding the
wounds (healing proficiency), administering a draught (spirits, healing
potion, etc.), magical spells (cure light wounds, etc.), or otherwise
doing whatever is necessary to restore life. This initial healing will
restore any hit points and can very well restore hit points above 0.
COMING BACK FROM THE DEATH EXPERIENCE
When a character recovers from having under 0 hit points, certain
abilities are temporarily lowered for a number of days equal to the
lowest number of hit points he had. Thus a character that had hit
points of -6 before being healed would now suffer the lower ability
scores for 6 days.
Strength is temporarily lowered for a number of days equal to the
lowest number of hit points he had. Thus a character that had hit
points of -6 before being healed would now suffer a -6 to his Strength.
Dexterity is temporarily lowered for a number of days equal to the
lowest number of hit points he had divided by 2. Thus a character that
had hit points of -6 before being healed would now suffer a -3 to his
Strength.
Note that no ability can be lowered less than 1. Also, all
memorized spells are lost. Finally, all saving throws are made at -1.
Other than these effects that weaken the character, the character
can continue on as usual.
OPTIONAL PERMANENT DAMAGE
If a character's Constitution is lowered by a fourth of the
original Constitution, then scarring could result (Table 1). If a
creature's Constitution is lowered by half of the original
Constitution, then the loss of a body part could result (Table 2).
TABLE 1: Scarring
Roll Area Of Effect
01-39 Torso
40-49 Head
50-59 Arm, left
60-69 Arm, right
70-79 Leg, left
80-89 Leg, right
90-00 No scar
TABLE 2: Loss of Body Part
Roll Area Of Effect
01-04 Arm, left
05-09 Arm, right
10-14 Leg, left
15-19 Leg, right
20-29 Foot, left
30-39 Foot, right
40-49 Hand, left
50-59 Hand, right
60-64 Eye, left
65-69 Eye, right
70-74 Ear, left
75-79 Ear, right
80-89 Roll on Table 1
90-00 No loss of body part
NATURAL HEALING
Characters heal naturally at a rate of 1 hit point per day of
rest. Rest is defined as low activity - nothing more strenuous than
riding a horse or traveling from one place to another. Fighting,
running in fear, lifting a heavy boulder, or any other physical
activity, prevents resting, since it strains old wounds and may reopen
them.
If a character has complete bed-rest (doing nothing an entire
day), he can regain 3 hit points for the day. For each complete week of
bed rest, the character can add any Constitution hit point bonus he
might have to the base of 21 points (3 points per day) he regained
during the week.
In both cases above, the character is assumed to be getting
adequate food, water, and sleep. If these are lacking, the character
does not regain any hit points that day.
ROLE-PLAYING IN THE HERE-AFTER
What happens to your favorite PC when he dies? You roll a new one!
I hear you cry, but why must death be the end of role-playing? Almost
all RPGs have a plethora of religions, from Central American to Norse
mythologies, each of which stresses an after-life in one form or
another.
In the case of the Norse religion the valorous dead where raised
from the field of battle by Valkyries and carried to Valhalla, where
they were allowed to fight and drink until the end of the world
(Ragnorok) after which man would be born anew as a god-like being.
Many religions stress that after death the soul must undertake a
perilous journey or quest to reach its final resting place or paradise.
The soul usually undertakes this journey either with or without
possessions. Possessions are normally those grave goods buried with the
deceased, e.g. weapons, food, wine, money, etc. Those buried without
grave goods or those who were not given a proper burial rite would have
to undertake this journey naked and unarmed, but would be able to
improvise such items as needed upon the way. The journey could be a way
of testing the soul for virtue, bravery, kindness, honesty, etc. Many
grave goods, especially those of the nobility, included effigies or
statues to serve the dead on their journey.
Other religions preached that upon death each soul was placed on
trial and had to prove itself innocent of crimes such as greed,
cowardice, dishonesty, etc.. If the soul proved itself innocent it was
allowed either access to paradise or reincarnation, depending on the
religion. Guilty souls were either condemned to everlasting hell or
were completely destroyed.
Some religions believed that the souls of the evil did not depart
the world of the living until they had righted their wrongs.
ROLE-PLAYING IDEAS
The idea of the quest to find paradise is a good role playing
theme that only needs the imagination of the DM to flesh it out.
Another idea for role playing is the discharge of a soul debt. A
soul debt applies to those beings, usually evil, who have pledged their
souls to demons or evil deities for power during their lives, or those
who have been tricked into selling their souls into the service of
evil. The latter provides the best possibilities for role playing,
fight of the soul to escape from the nether planes back to their own
place of eternal rest.
Many evil beings steal the souls of those they kill e.g. Night-
hags who sell the souls to evil beings from the lower planes. The theme
of this could be the escape of the soul from the clutches of these
beings before they are sold.
The last role playing theme is probably the most obvious. Yes,
you've guessed it, the UNDEAD. Things such as good vampires and liches
fighting their evil contemporaries. PC souls trapped in their bodies
against their will and trying to gain their eternal rest.